TEMPE, Ariz. -- Bolstered by a strong postseason run and a third-place finish in the College World Series, the 2005 Arizona State baseball team recorded a top-six ranking in all four of the college baseball national polls. ASU finished the season ranked as high as No. 3 by Collegiate Baseball and the NCBWA, No. 5 by Sports Weekly/ESPN and No. 6 by Baseball America.

The consensus top-six national ranking gives Arizona State its fifth top 12 finish (according to Baseball America) during the 11 seasons under current head coach Pat Murphy. ASU also finished in the top 12 in the nation in 1997 (#11), 1998 (#2), 2000 (#12), 2003 (#7) and 2005 (#6).

ASU entered the season ranked in the top 12 in all four preseason polls, but started the season on a slow note winning just six of its first 15 and 13 of the first 25 games to start the season. The Sun Devils responded from a school-record-tying six-game losing streak to go 36-16 (.692) over the final 52 games of the season.

After finishing third in the Pac-10 with a 15-9 record, ASU swept through the Tempe Regional, handing No. 1 seed Coastal Carolina a pair of losses to advance to the Super Regional against defending national champion Cal State Fullerton. After losing the opening game to CSF, the Devils won a pair of elimination games, including a come-from-behind 9-8 victory in which ASU trailed 7-2, to advance to the College World Series for the 19th time in school history.

ASU made an unbelievable run in the College World Series, falling one game short of advancing to the championship series. After losing the opener to hometown favorite Nebraska, ASU eliminated Tennessee and the Huskers before handing Florida its first postseason defeat. ASU's dramatic 8-7 win in 11 innings over Nebraska featured a school and CWS tying three home runs from senior first baseman Jeff Larish.

Buck, a first-round draft pick of the Oakland A's, hit .382 (110-for-288) with 24 doubles, six home runs, 43 RBI and 27 stolen bases. His 110 hits rank ninth in ASU single-season history and he became only the fourth Sun Devil to record at least 100 hits, 20 doubles and 20 stolen bases in the same season. He was a two-time first-team All-Pac-10 selection and was named a second-team All-American by the NCBWA.

Larish, a fifth-round draft pick by the Detroit Tigers, finished his senior season hitting .324 (81-for-250) with 18 doubles, 23 home runs and 67 RBI. His 23 homers tied for fourth in the NCAA and are third best in ASU single-season history. A career .333 hitter (283-for-849), Larish finished his career ranked second in school history in home runs (51), second in walks (200), second in total bases (505), third in runs scored (229), fourth in RBI (235), fourth in at-bats (849), sixth in hits (283) and seventh in doubles (57).

Gosewisch hit .321 (81-for-252) during his senior season in 2005, including leading the team with 74 RBI. He also recorded 17 doubles and six home runs. Defensively, he became only the second Sun Devil to be a three-year starter behind the plate, and notched a .996 fielding percentage by making only two errors in 538 chances. He threw out 27 of 69 (39%) of attempted base stealers. Gosewisch was drafted in the 11th round by the Philadelphia Phillies.

The pitching staff was led by a pair of 10-game winners in senior right-hander Jason Urquidez (Simi Valley, Calif.) and junior left-hander Erik Averill (Orange, Calif.). The duo combined to go 21-8 and became the first pair of 10-win teammates since Noah Peery and Kaipo Spenser in 1994.

Averill was 11-4 with a team-leading 3.39 ERA in 24 appearances (20 starts). He struck out 99 and walked only 30 while holding opponents to a .266 batting average. His five complete games were the most by a Sun Devil since Kaipo Spenser also had five in 1995. In four postseason starts, Averill was 3-0 with a 2.01 ERA and recorded a pair of complete games against Coastal Carolina and Florida. The 20th round draft pick of the Detroit Tigers owns a career 23-10 record with a 3.95 ERA in 70 career appearances.

Urquidez was 10-4 with a 3.93 ERA in 29 appearances (17 starts). He recorded 98 strikeouts in 121.1 innings and held opponents to a .249 batting average. In six postseason appearances (5 starts), Urquidez was 2-0 with a 2.96 ERA. With a career 22-7 record, he joins elite company by becoming only the seventh Sun Devil to record back-to-back 10-win seasons. Urquidez was drafted in the 17th round by the Arizona Diamondbacks.